Do I need a creative process?

In a word. Yes.

I’d love to be one of those people who can just pick up a pen and paper and create masterpieces! But sadly I am not. In fact a lot of people aren’t like that - so don’t worry if you get a creative block every now and then. (If you need some help getting over them check out this blog I wrote a few months ago: https://www.pandiprints.com/post/creative-blocks)

So what is my creative process? Be prepared to be dazzled!

Well actually maybe not, it can be quite a slow process. My inspiration comes from words (lots of different places but we won’t get into that) and the problem with that, words can be interpreted differently by everyone or their intonation can change their meaning too. So figuring out how I want the words to come over is the first hurdle.

I’m quite into brainstorming so I will get a bit of blank paper, write the phrase in the middle and then work out all it’s connotations, how it could be interpreted and then circle which ones I want for my print.

Once I've worked that out, I mind map what images or colours go with that. For example … “Divine Feminine Power” (a new print coming soon), I wanted this to be badass but feminine - going for that Girl Boss feel. So I created a bit of a mood board that I felt resonated with that Girl Boss aesthetic!

Then it’s a case of playing around with fonts, colour palettes, arrangements, sizing and the list goes on. Sometimes you have an idea in your head and you think it will look CRACKER on the page and then it flops.

If this happens, it’s a case of going back to the start. Did I get the tone of the print right, what about the colour scheme? Is it the layout of the words?

Once I’ve done this, I’ll make a copy of the original finished piece and start tweaking until I figure out what looks best.

This process can go on and on and on … I’ve had version 7 of a print … and I think my record is version 12!

My creative process is very process driven, I have steps to follow because it works for me. For others they just “feel it” or “go with the flow” and out pops a masterpiece. You can apply this to anything though, if you’re thinking about creating a gallery wall or redecorating your house, start with how you want it to feel or come across and go from there.

My main advice, find what works for you. Some people will try and sell their process to you, telling you it will solve all your problems and it might BUT more likely than not if it doesn’t suit WHO you are, it’s not going to solve anything!

Have fun creating!